REAL Women issued a press release Wednesday, denouncing Baird for his “abuse of office” in awarding a $200,000 grant to “special interest groups” in Uganda and Kenya “to further his own perspective on homosexuality.” REAL Women also censures Baird for his behind-the-scenes attempts to dissuade Russia from imposing restrictive laws on foreign adoptions by gay couples and on “homosexual propaganda” (i.e., gay-rights activism).

Gwen Landolt is out of line here. What Mr. Baird does or does not believe about homosexuality is irrelevant to his job, which is to represent official Canadian positions. Our government, and most Canadians, perceive homosexuals as fully equal citizens under the law, including the right to marriage and parenting. Whether or not many Canadians are uncomfortable with those positions (as indeed many are) is not pertinent to this situation. Mr. Baird is not demanding other countries enact gay-marriage laws. He is reacting to punitive measures for the “crime” of being homosexual.

Some say it’s a natural fit for a government that has made the promotion of human rights on the world stage a priority, and aligns with the priorities and values of Conservatives and non-Conservatives alike.

“It’s just the right thing to do, to stand up for the rights of the individual no matter what country they live in,” said Stephen Taylor, director of the conservative National Citizens Coalition.

But others have warned it will cost Prime Minister Stephen Harper support from within his own party.

“I’ve already seen some feedback from some of the conservative, the real conservative base,” said Brian Rushfeldt, president of the right-wing advocacy group Canada Family Action. “I think the potential of Harper and the Conservatives losing some support is very real.”

Even Conservative MPs are divided over the issue, which on the surface appears to be an outlier among many other foreign policy positions the Tories have adopted since coming to power.

“We’ve got much more important things to be doing in terms of a foreign affairs agenda along the lines of trade and health issues and various other issues that we can help these countries in,” said Conservative backbencher Maurice Vellacott.

“So I don’t think we have to be promoting that in other countries. We have far too much and far more important things to be doing.”

Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird refused to say Friday whether he was worried Conservative members and supporters will turn against the government over the issue.

“I’ll leave others to those determinations,” he told reporters by phone from Brazil where he was wrapping up a two-week tour of Latin America. “I’m not going to get into a war of words on that.”

But his office has extended an invitation to a conservative women’s group that launched a scathing attack on the minister earlier this week to meet and discuss the government’s position, indicating concern the issue could become a problem if allowed to fester.

Under the Conservative government, Canada has been quietly, and sometimes not so quietly, working to decriminalize homosexuality and stop anti-gay legislation from being passed in other countries.

Harper and Baird have both publicly criticized Ugandan officials as they moved to impose stricter restrictions on gay relationships and activities in the African nation.

Canada has also contributed about $200,000 to local groups to help fight the law, which has been revised to remove capital punishment for some offences but maintains harsh prison sentences and remains in the Ugandan parliament’s legislative queue.

The prime minister and Baird have also spoken against a new Russian law that bans anyone from providing information about homosexuality to people under 18 years of age, and said Canadian diplomats in Moscow had been working behind the scenes to scuttle the legislation.

Immigration Minister Jason Kenney has also made a point of highlighting Canada’s acceptance of dozens of gay refugees from Iran since taking up the issue in 2009.

The government says it is simply part of its commitment to standing up for basic human rights around the world, with Baird saying in September: “I firmly believe it is the role of the state to protect its people regardless of gender, sexuality or faith.”

Taylor said there is a big difference between government intervening to advance gay culture, and protecting individuals from being persecuted because of their sexuality.

“So instead of a government subsidy of cultural festivals, Canada stands for a strong and principled foreign policy that defends the right of the individual,” he said.

Conservative MP Scott Reid chairs the Commons’ subcommittee on international human rights, which has previously held hearings on the treatment of sexual minorities in Uganda and Iran.

“It is one of the topics we look at and it’s one of the legitimate topics to look at,” he said, adding that he believes Russia’s anti-gay law attacks freedom of speech.

“If you’re looking at it, the law is not solely or specifically about engaging in homosexual activity,” he said. “The limiting of people’s ability to express their opinions on legitimate political issues, that’s pretty fundamental.”

‘As much as I would disagree with the homosexual lifestyle, there should be basic protections for them’

Vellacott, who has been outspoken on the issue of abortion despite the prime minister’s desire not to re-open the issue, agreed that Canada has an obligation to speak against persecution of any individual.

“They should not be hunted or hounded in those kind of ways,” he said. “There should be basic protections for all. And as much as I would disagree with the homosexual lifestyle, there should be basic protections for them.”

But he also defended the Russian law, indicating he would not want his kids exposed to “homosexual propaganda” and that Russia and other countries are “doing as best they can to rebuild devastated countries because the family was under heavy attack under the brutal boots of communism.”

“Passing legislation designed to protect Russian minors from homosexual propaganda, I guess that’s within their right to do so,” Vellacott said, adding he is strongly opposed to any Canadian diplomatic efforts that would seek to advance same-sex marriage as a human right.

Gwendolyn Landolt, national vice-president of the conservative group REAL Women, which attacked Baird on the issue earlier this week, said the Harper government would take some lumps on the issue with the party’s base.

“Mr. Harper represents the Conservative Party,” she said. “And there are many in the Conservative Party who would support him. I don’t say otherwise. But there are many of us who don’t on this issue.”

She and Rushfeldt attacked the government for publicly scolding Russia and Uganda, and for using taxpayer dollars and government resources to try to stop anti-gay legislation from passing.

Both said those efforts are different from standing up to the threat posed by Iran or efforts to protect religious minorities and women’s rights in countries such as Pakistan and Egypt.

“Eradicating Israel, we’d all object,” Landolt said in reference to Iranian threats against the Jewish state. “Minority rights being protected, we all think they should. The question of genital mutilation, we all find that offensive. The question of women having equal rights, we all would agree.

“But it is not, and I repeat not, a Canadian value that homosexuals should usurp religious rights and traditional values.”

Human rights groups say millions of people around the world, particularly in Africa, the Middle East and parts of Asia, are persecuted or face penalties, imprisonment or death for their sexual orientation.